LARGO – Pinellas County School District is one of 11 in the state selected for the prestigious AP Honor Roll.

The honor recognizes districts for simultaneously increasing access to Advanced Placement course work while maintaining or increasing the percentage of students earning scores of 3 or higher on AP Exams.

This is the first time the district has been selected for the recognition.

Pinellas County Schools is one of 539 school districts in the United States and Canada to receive the honor this year.

Another important component of the honor requires large and medium sized districts to ensure that their percentage of minority students taking the exams did not decrease by more than 5 percent.

The district has met the criteria for the honor and has specifically increased the number of African-American test takers over the past three years.

In 2010, the district had 467 black test takers, a 12.8 percent increase over the previous year. In 2011, the district had 491black test takers, a 5.1 percent increase over 2010, and this year, it had 500, a 1.8 percent increase over 2012.

“The AP Honor Roll recognizes the efforts that the district has made in opening doors to rigorous coursework for all students. It puts a special emphasis for us on traditionally underrepresented students, including minorities and economically challenged students,” said Judy Vigue, the district’s director of Advanced Studies & Academic Excellence.

Overall, the district has increased the number of test takers from 5,533 in 2010 to 6,160 in May 2012. Over that same period, the number of exams taken increased from 9,786 to 10,541, with 42 percent of exams earning a score of 3 or more. This is significant because the majority of U.S. colleges and universities grant college credit for scores of 3 or above.

The College Board is a nonprofit organization that connects students to college success and opportunity. The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school.

Founded in 1900, the College Board was created to expand access to higher education. Each year, the College Board helps millions of students prepare for a successful transition to college through programs and services in college readiness and college success. For more information, visit www.c­olleg­eboar­d.org.